Distance Preferences Research Articles

The effects of neuron heterogeneity and connection mechanism in cortical networks

The mammalian cortices show an specific architecture close to the optimum, represented by the high clustering, short processing steps and short wiring length. What are the key factors that influence the layout of neural connectivity networks? Here a model to investigate the conditions leading to the small-world cortical networks with minimal global wiring is presented. The essential factors in this model are the introductions of the unequal number distribution of heterogeneous neurons and two connection mechanisms, the preferential attachment to neurons with large spatial coverage (PANLSC) and distance preference. Outcomes show that the specific architecture close to the optimum can only result from the PANLSC when the number distribution of neurons with diverse spatial coverage is highly unequal. This suggests the PANLSC may be an important connection mechanism in cortical systems.

The role of perceived norms in the stigmatization of mental illness

Past research on stigmatization of the mentally ill has emphasized the importance of beliefs about mental illness in determining preferred social distance to those with such illnesses. In the current paper we examine the importance of perceived social norms in improving the prediction of social distance preferences. Two hundred university students completed scales measuring their beliefs about either depression or schizophrenia; their perception of relevant social norms and their preferred level of social distance to someone with schizophrenia or depression. Measures of social desirability bias were also completed. The proportion of variance in preferred social distance was approximately doubled when perceived norms were added to beliefs about illness in a regression equation. Perceived norms were the most important predictor of social distance to an individual with either illness. A general preference for social distance towards a control, non-ill person was also an independent predictor of behavioral intentions toward someone with either schizophrenia or depression. Perceived social norms are an important contributor to an individual's social distance to those with mental illness. Messages designed to influence perceived social norms may help reduce stigmatization of the mentally ill.

Geographic intention and modification in web search

Web searchers signal their geographic intent by using place‐names in search queries. They also indicate their flexibility about geographic specificity by reformulating their queries. By examining this data we can learn to understand web searcher flexibility with respect to geographic intent. We examine aggregated data of queries with locations, and locations identified from IP addresses, to identify overall distance preferences, as well as distance preferences by search topic. We also examine query rewriting: both deliberate query rewriting, conducted in web search sessions, and automated query rewriting, with manual relevance judgments of geo‐modified queries. We find geo‐specification in 12.7% of user query rewrites in search sessions, and show the breakdown into sub‐classes such as same‐city, same‐state, same‐country and different‐country. We also measure the dependence between US‐state‐name and distance‐of‐modified‐location‐from‐original‐location, finding that Vermont web searchers modify their locations greater distances than California web searchers. We find that automatically‐modified queries are perceived as much more relevant when the geographic component is unchanged. We look at the relationship between the non‐location part of a query and the distance from the user. We see that people search for child day‐care near their locations and maps far from where they are located. We also give distance profiles for the top topics which cooccur with place‐names in queries, which could be used to set document priors based on document proximity and query topic.

Patterns of mating call preferences in túngara frogs, Physalaemus pustulosus

We examine acoustic mating preferences of a focal population at four different scales of divergence: within the population, between populations in the same genetic group, between populations in different genetic groups and between different species. At all scales there is substantial genetic divergence, variation in mating signals and preferences are influenced by signal variation. There is, however, no support for the hypothesis that mating preferences accumulate predictably with genetic distance. Females preferred the local conspecific call to the foreign conspecific call in about one-third of the experiments, and preferred the local call to all of the heterospecific calls tested. But there was no significant relationship between the variation in the strength of preference and genetic distance either among conspecific populations, or among heterospecific species. Thus, in this study macroevolutionary patterns are not apparent at the microevolutionary scale.

Teachers’ cultural differences: case studies of geography teachers in Brisbane, Changchun and Hong Kong

The primary purpose of this exploratory study is to identify variations in the ways in which individual teachers in different educational contexts interpret their curriculum and plan their lessons and in particular to explore the possibility that cultural differences as identified by Hofstede (1991) may be a contributing factor to understanding how teachers understand their work. “Educational reform” has become a catchphrase in the Anglo-American world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and England and Wales, as well as in the Confucian Heritage Areas such as Mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Across the world, the educational reform measures being implemented are surprisingly similar. This paper describes a study of how geography teachers in Queensland, Australia, Hong Kong, and Changchun, China, plan their lessons and curriculum. From classroom observations and interviews with the teachers involved, we confirmed marked differences in each location regarding their cultural traits of power distance, individualist and collectivist preference and uncertainty tolerance, and that these traits appear to be highly influential in their curriculum planning. Despite the small scale of this study, we contend that there are good reasons for caution before national education systems import policies and curriculum reform initiatives from other countries for unthinking adoption.

Threat and Visibility Impact of Disabilities and Other Conditions on Social Distance Preferences

Threat and Visibility Impact of Disabilities and Other Conditions on Social Distance Preferences

The Construction of Fear: Americans' Preferences for Social Distance from Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Problems

Debates about children's mental health problems have raised questions about the reliability and validity of diagnosis and treatment. However, little research has focused on social reactions to children with mental health problems. This gap in research raises questions about competing theories of stigma, as well as specific factors shaping prejudice and discrimination toward those children. Here, we organize a general model of stigma that synthesizes previous research. We apply a reduced version of this model to data from a nationally representative sample responding to vignettes depicting several stigmatizing scenarios, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, asthma, or "normal troubles." Results from the National Stigma Study-Children suggest a gradient of rejection from highest to lowest, as follows: ADHD, depression, "normal troubles," and physical illness. Stigmatizing reactions are highest toward adolescents. Importantly, respondents who label the vignette child's situation as a mental illness compared to those who label the problem as a physical illness or a "normal" situation report greater preferences for social distance, a pattern that appears to result from perceptions that the child is dangerous.

Ethnic Preferences, Social Distance Dynamics, and Residential Segregation: Theoretical Explorations Using Simulation Analysis*

In this paper I consider theories of residential segregation that emphasize social distance and ethnic preference dynamics. I argue that these theories are more compelling than many critics have supposed, and I conclude that they deserve to be considered more carefully. I then use simulation methodology to assess the potential impact of social distance and ethnic preference dynamics on ethnic segregation under certain theoretically interesting conditions. Based on the results from the simulation analyses, I offer three conclusions: (1) status preferences and status dynamics have the capacity to produce high levels of status segregation but do not produce high levels of ethnic segregation under the specified simulation conditions; (2) ethnic preferences can, under certain theoretically interesting conditions specified in these simulations, produce high levels of ethnic segregation in the absence of housing discrimination; and (3) ethnic preferences and social distance dynamics can, when combined with status preferences, status dynamics, and demographic and urban-structural settings common in American cities, produce highly stable patterns of multi-group segregation and hyper-segregation (i.e., high levels of ethnic segregation on multiple dimensions) of minority populations. Based on these model-based theoretical explorations I speculate that the persistence of segregation in recent decades may have been overdetermined, that is, it may have been sustained by multiple sufficient causes including not only discrimination, but also social distance and preference dynamics. This raises the possibility that reductions in housing discrimination may not necessarily lead to large declines in ethnic segregation in the short run because social distance and preference dynamics may be able to sustain ethnic segregation at surprisingly high levels in the absence of housing discrimination. *An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Sociological Association Chicago, Illinois, August 1999. I thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions for improvement of an earlier version of this paper. The research reported here has was facilitated in part by funding support from NIH Grants R43HD38199 (Simulating Residential Segregation Dynamics: Phase I) and R44HD038199 (Simulating Residential Segregation Dynamics: Phase II). In addition, the research reported here was made possible in part by faculty development leave support provided by Texas A&M University.

Including Preference and Social Distance Dynamics in Multi-Factor Theories of Segregation

All agree that many factors contribute to ethnic segregation, but controversy continues regarding the relevance of particular factors. In my paper I acknowledge the importance of discrimination, but I direct attention to the role of ethnic preferences and social distance dynamics. I do so because many dismiss the relevance of these factors for contemporary segregation without engaging formal theories and analytic models which suggest that dynamics associated with in-group attraction and out-group avoidance may take on increasing importance as past forms of discrimination slowly fade. Agent-based modeling shows promise for exploring the issue of whether prejudice against out-groups and affinity toward in-groups can build and sustain segregation in the absence of discrimination. Research drawing on this approach is at an early stage of development but is significant for highlighting two things. One is that the implications of preferences for segregation are strongly conditioned by the ethnic demography of the city. Another, closely tied to the first, is that different views about the implications of preferences for segregation often hinge on inconsistencies in how notions of integration and segregation are applied in discussions of individual location choices, the ethnic mix of single neighborhoods, and the ethnic distributions for all neighborhoods in a city. Critiques of agent-based models of Schelling-style preference effects will carry more force when they outline models indicating how location decisions guided by preferences documented in surveys can produce or sustain integration.

The Relationship between Biogenetic Causal Explanations and Social Distance toward People with Mental Disorders: Results from a Population Survey in Germany

Several studies have found an inverse relationship between people's readiness to endorse biogenetic causal explanations of mental disorder and their desire for social distance from people with mental disorders. The aim of this study is to examine why this may be the case. In the spring of 2001, a population survey was carried out among German citizens aged 18 years and older, living in private households. A total of 5025 interviews were conducted, reflecting a response rate of 65.1%. At the beginning of the personal, fully structured interview, respondents were presented with a vignette containing a diagnostically unlabelled psychiatric case history, either depicting a case of schizophrenia or major depressive disorder. Using five-point Likert scales, causal attributions as well as perceived dangerousness, fear and the desire for social distance were assessed. The more respondents endorse a brain disease as a cause, the more dangerous they believe the person with schizophrenia or major depression to be. Respondents who perceive the individual in the vignette as being dangerous express a higher degree of fear and a greater preference for social distance from these individuals. As compared with brain disease, the relationships between heredity and perceived dangerousness are less pronounced for both disorders. Our analysis showed that endorsing biogenetic explanations decreases the likelihood of social acceptance of people with schizophrenia and major depression. Rejecting behavioural responses in the form of social distance desired from people with schizophrenia and major depression result from cognitive emotional processes in which biogenetic causal attributions are linked to lack of self-control, unpredictability and dangerousness, which, in turn, are associated with fear of these people.

Genome-wide prediction and characterization of interactions between transcription factors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Combinatorial regulation by transcription factor complexes is an important feature of eukaryotic gene regulation. Here, we propose a new method for identification of interactions between transcription factors (TFs) that relies on the relationship of their binding sites, and we test it using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system. The algorithm predicts interacting TF pairs based on the co-occurrence of their binding motifs and the distance between the motifs in promoter sequences. This allows investigation of interactions between TFs without known binding motifs or expression data. With this approach, 300 significant interactions involving 77 TFs were identified. These included more than 70% of the known protein–protein interactions. Approximately half of the detected interacting motif pairs showed strong preferences for particular distances and orientations in the promoter sequences. These one dimensional features may reflect constraints on allowable spatial arrangements for protein–protein interactions. Evidence for biological relevance of the observed characteristic distances is provided by the finding that target genes with the same characteristic distances show significantly higher co-expression than those without preferred distances. Furthermore, the observed interactions were dynamic: most of the TF pairs were not constitutively active, but rather showed variable activity depending on the physiological condition of the cells. Interestingly, some TF pairs active in multiple conditions showed preferences for different distances and orientations depending on the condition. Our prediction and characterization of TF interactions may help to understand the transcriptional regulatory networks in eukaryotic systems.

Current Manifestations of Racism: An Exploratory Study of Social Distance and White Racial Identity

White racial identity theory postulates that White individuals differ in their psychological orientation to race. However, the racial attitudes research has not examined how these differences impact the degree of social contact an individual is likely to have with members from other racial groups. The authors assessed participants' White racial identity and social distance towards White, Asian, Black, Native, and Latino Americans. The nature of the relationship was examined with a canonical correlation analysis. The analysis revealed a significant canonical variate, which indicated that more developed White racial identity status attitudes were related to less social distance towards members of other racial groups, while less developed racial identity status attitudes were related to greater social distance preference. The authors discuss the results in terms of the implications for psychology and offer recommendations for future research

Temporal Distance and Negotiation Issue Preference Ambiguity

Negotiators must determine the relative importance of issues sometime prior to beginning negotiations. However, social psychological research suggests that the timing of such consideration, relative to the commencement of bargaining, may affect the importance attached to different issues. Because decision construal-level, decision-maker overconfidence, and situational effects on decision-making vary with the point in time before the start of negotiations at which decisions are made, it follows that when a negotiator decides on the relative importance of negotiation issues has an important effect on the shaping of preference structure. This paper argues for increased attention to these social cognitive processes in research on negotiator preferences and attempts to highlight the commonalities amongst these processes in order to stimulate increased investigational effort in this area amongst conflict researchers.

Labeling—stereotype—discrimination

Using Link and Phelan's concept of the stigma process, public attitudes towards people with schizophrenia are examined. In the spring of 2001, a representative population survey was conducted in Germany (n=5025). A fully structured personal interview was carried out, beginning with the presentation of a case vignette. Labeling as mental illness increased the likelihood that someone suffering from schizophrenia was considered as being unpredictable and dangerous. This, in turn, led to an increase of the preference for social distance. Although much weaker, labeling also had a positive effect on public attitudes insofar as it was associated with a decrease of the tendency to attribute the responsibility for the occurrence of the disorder to the afflicted person. However, this had no significant impact on the desire for social distance. There was no significant association between labeling and the anticipation of poor prognosis. There were some differences between respondents who are familiar with mental illness and those who are not. Our findings have some implications for the planning of interventions aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination because of schizophrenia. These interventions should primarily address the stereotypes of unpredictability and dangerousness since they are most likely to have a negative impact on the public's willingness to engage in social relationships with those suffering from this disorder. The interventions should also be tailored according to whether the target population is familiar with mental illness or not.

Approval voting with endogenous candidates

We present a formal model of political competition under approval voting which allows for endogenous candidate entry. Our analysis yields a number of novel insights. First, we develop a notion of sincere voting behavior under approval voting, called relative sincerity. We then show that the relatively sincere voting behavior is consistent with the strategic calculus of voting. Second, we show that in a one-dimensional model with distance preferences, equilibria in relatively sincere strategies and without spoiler candidates always generate outcomes close to the median voter. Moreover, approval voting satisfies Duverger's Law in the sense that there are at most two winning positions! Finally, we extend our analysis to arbitrary policy spaces. In the general setting, approval voting is shown to be susceptible to the same kinds of problems as the plurality rule, such as the possibility of non-majoritarian outcomes, failure to elect the Condorcet winner and existence of spoiler candidates.

Social distance towards a person with Alzheimer's disease

This study examined determinants of behavioral discrimination (i.e. social distance) against persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a total of 206 Jewish Israeli adults (mean age = 59.7) using an experimental vignette methodology, varying in the severity of the disease. Information regarding participants' preferences for social distance from a person with AD was elicited. The effects of emotional reactions, perceptions of dangerousness of the person depicted in the vignette, personal experience with the disease, and perceptions about the susceptibility of developing AD were examined. Results of the study provide partial support for an extended version of the attribution model, in that prosocial feelings were found to decrease the behavioral discrimination against the person described, whereas feelings of rejection increased the discrimination. A direct, unmediated effect of the severity of the disease on social distance was found, as well as a direct effect of familiarity with someone with the disease. Findings of this study stress the importance of increasing government and advocacy initiatives that would provide the lay public with accurate knowledge about the disease, its symptoms, and treatments. These campaigns should be aimed at clarifying misconceptions and communicating empathetic feelings towards people diagnosed with AD.

Geographical variation in macrohabitat use and preferences of the Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina

Geographical variation in wildlife–habitat relationships has seldom been studied. We explored macrohabitat use and geographically distinct responses to habitat availability in the Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina near the centre (Lithuania) and on the edge (Estonia) of its European distribution range, and in different zones within Estonia. Land cover types and distances to landscape elements, as well as landscape diversity, were measured around 198 Eagle nests and random forest points. Out of six macrohabitat characteristics, two (landscape diversity, area of optimal foraging habitat) showed no geographical variation in use, or preferences by the Eagle. Whereas variation in the use of suboptimal foraging habitats and forests could be attributed to regional differences in their availability, there were geographically distinct preferences for distances between nests and landscape elements. The species avoided anthropogenic edges in Lithuania but tended even to prefer their proximity in Estonia; Eagles selected nest‐sites near remote waterbodies throughout Estonia but there was no such preference in Lithuania. The results did not support the hypothesis that latitudinal or range centre‐to‐periphery gradients existed in habitat relationships of the species; the main factor behind the geographical variation was probably land‐use history. In general, the diversity of geographical effects indicated that extrapolating local habitat relationships to other areas may give erroneous results, and large‐scale conservation planning regarding species’ habitat may be ineffective.

Interhelical Angle and Distance Preferences in Globular Proteins

Orientational preferences between interacting helices within globular proteins have been studied extensively over the years. A number of classical structural models such as “knobs into holes” and “ridges into grooves” were developed decades ago to explain perceived preferences in interhelical angle distributions. In contrast, relatively recent works have examined statistical biases in angular distributions which result from spherical geometric effects. Those works have concluded that the predictions of classical models are due in large part to these biases. In this article we perform an analysis on the largest set of helix-helix interactions within high-resolution structures of nonhomologous proteins studied to date. We examine the interhelical angle distribution as a function of spatial distance between helix pairs. We show that previous efforts to normalize angle distribution data did not include two important effects: 1), helices can interact with each other in three distinct ways which we refer to as “line-on-line,” “endpoint-to-line,” and “endpoint-to-endpoint,” and each of these interactions has its own geometric effects which must be included in the proper normalization of data; and 2), all normalizations that depend on geometric parameters such as interhelical angle must occur before the data is binned to avoid artifacts of bin size from biasing the conclusions. Taking these two points into account, we find that there are very pronounced preferences for helices to interact at angles of approximately ±160 and ±20° in the line-on-line case. This pattern persists when the closest α-carbons in the helices vary from 4 to 12 Å. The endpoint-to-line and endpoint-to-endpoint cases also exhibit distinct preferences when the data is normalized properly. Analysis of the local structural interactions which give rise to these preferences has not been studied here and is left for future work.

The Stereotype of Schizophrenia and Its Impact on Discrimination Against People With Schizophrenia: Results From a Representative Survey in Germany

This study aims at assessing the prevalence of different components of the stereotype of schizophrenia among the general public and examining their impact on the preference for social distance and the acceptance of structural discrimination--that is, imbalances and injustices inherent in legal regulations and the provision of health care. In spring 2001, a representative survey was carried out in Germany involving individuals of German nationality aged 18 years and older and living in noninstitutional settings (n = 5,025). A personal, fully structured interview was conducted, including a list of items covering the various aspects of the stereotype, a social distance scale, and items assessing respondents' agreement with structural discrimination. Among the five stereotype components, the perception of people with schizophrenia as being unpredictable and incompetent was most frequently endorsed by the public, followed by perceived dangerousness. While the desire for social distance was best predicted by these two stereotype components, holding the individual responsible for the illness was the most powerful predictor of the acceptance of structural discrimination.

Determinants of the public's preference for social distance from people with schizophrenia.

To examine the extent to which the public's desire for social distance from people with schizophrenia is influenced by beliefs about the disorder and stereotypes about those suffering from it. In spring 2001, we carried out a representative survey of individuals of German nationality aged 18 years and over (n = 5025). Each subject was given a fully structured interview that began with the presentation of a vignette. Both labelling and beliefs about the disorder's causes and prognosis, as well as the perception that those suffering from it are unpredictable and dangerous, had an impact on the public's desire for social distance. However, the latter proved to be more important. As expected, respondents who identified the disorder depicted in the vignette as mental illness, those who blamed the individual for its development, and those who anticipated a poor prognosis expressed a stronger desire for social distance. Endorsing biological factors as a cause was also associated with increased social distance. Our findings have important implications for interventions aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination related to schizophrenia. Targeting the stereotype of unpredictability and dangerousness appears to be particularly important.